A Kosher Day

We made it to the Griffith Observatory today. Parking was no problem. We couldn't figure out why these CHiP's officers were there though. And why they were allowing the rabbi, his children, and everyone in the Asian tour group to take their pictures on the bikes. It was quite a sight!

After the photo op, we were the next attraction. Everyone stopped by to see what we were working on. One woman asked us what university we were from. Maybe I'm not as old as I think I am.

And we thought the cops were there to tell us that we couldn't sit on a blanket on the grass. Lucky for us they were occupied with the tourists. Just another gorgeous January day in Los Angeles.

Rock With You

Last night DD and I watched This Is It on DVD. It was just as fabulous as in the theater and has great bonus features. I am grateful to the concert organizers, director, etc. who put this footage together to share Michael's last creative endeavor with us. I have been a fan forever and there just aren't words to describe the talent, the creativity, the vision, the impact, or the love (L-O-V-E love) of the man. It is still hard to believe that he is gone. Yes, he was surrounded by controversy---but what celebrity isn't. He had more to deal with than anyone. No one single person had ever experienced being as great as he was. I am so glad that he was able to develop his talent and live his dream of sharing it with the world. Anyone who can take their talent and passion and turn it into what they do for a living is an inspiration to me. So in honor of MJ I've rocked out all day to his music---singing at the top of my lungs. Shamone.

FlyAKite is official!

"When you send it flying up there,

All at once you're lighter than air!

You can dance on the breeze

Over houses and trees;

With your fist holding tight---

To the string of your kite!"

 Inspired by Mary Poppins, our new Etsy shop is FlyAKite. www.FlyAKite.etsy.com Check it out! I'm super excited about how these cards turned out. Each card is handpainted on acid free 90 lb. cold press watercolor paper. The kite is cut from recycled fabric scraps. The tails are hand tied and machine sewn to the card. Each card is one of a kind. I'm searching for boxes so that I can sell note card sets in the future. Wish us luck!

Chasing Sunsets

On Saturday, after a week of wonderful rain DD and I went in search of some sun. We packed our painting supplies and headed out for a new park. We set up shop, and the ground wasn't too wet. We know because apparently it is against the rules to sit on a blanket.

DD

Me

DD painted a tree. She finished. I was inspired by a parking garage. I didn't finish. We stayed until the sun set behind the huge buildings behind us and the wind became frigid. (Sunset #1). A fun afternoon.

Then we decided to try to catch the sunset from the Observatory since the air was super clear. We never did figure out what exactly was going on up at the Observatory, but there were sooo many people up there. And a huge traffic jam with everyone trying to find a park. So we drove up one side and down the other. We missed the sunset (Sunset #2), but decided to stop at the park at the bottom of the hill. We did some sky flying---our new favorite photo trick!

We laughed hysterically! And then we did some star spinning. Very dizzying!

By this time we were freezing, and we headed home.

I forgot I was a painter

One of my goals for the new year is to work on my talents. It has been 10+ years since I have done any painting. I watercolor because my mother watercolors. I tried oil painting in high school and didn't like it. Too messy, too smelly, and it takes too long to dry. Plus, I've been watercoloring all my life. Be forewarned! I am not as good as I used to be. Rusty, would be the word. And I definitely need new paint. It's all a little crumbly. I was lucky to even find my pallet. All my paintbrushes seem to have disappeared. I picked an oil painting by Claude Monet to copy as my first practice piece. First, the original (not a very clear copy).

Sailboats on the Seine, 1874

I already know that oil doesn't translate well to watercolor. It also doesn't help that the picture I was looking at was 2 inches wide. I'm not making excuses. I already told told you this was practice.

Some parts were looking overworked, so I stopped. After some more practice I want to take my stuff out on location. Stay tuned.

Mother Goose

The fair maid who, the first of May,

Goes to the fields at break of day,

And washes in dew from the hawthorn-tree,

Will ever after handsome be.

Once upon a time, many, many months ago I found some FANTASTIC upholstery fabric. I had visions of how fabulous it would be. The only problem was I didn't know what I wanted to embellish it with. I had enough for two bags. DD knew exactly what she wanted, so I made her bag embellishments and all. And it turned out great! Much time passed and I finally decided to make up my own version. In the meantime I had designed a new style, The Bette, and that is where I got stuck. What should I put on it? What colors should I use? I stewed and fretted. After pain, blood, tears and too many crocheted flowers I had a rough idea about what it might look like.

When it was all said and done, my first thought was that I had created a Mother Goose Bag. It looks just like the nursery rhymes I used to know from my childhood. I still love the fabric, but I'm not sure I love the bag. I'll use it everyday for a while. The lining was another struggle, but I'm pleased with what I chose. The best part of this bag is the pocket material. I found a quarter flat that I fell in live with. The photo doesn't do it justice.

I've already started planning my next personal project. I've just got to let my stitching fingers heal little first.